Chariteas

The Faces of Chariteas

2011-12-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

Yes Chariteas is growing! If you've stepped into Chariteas recently you'll notice many new faces. So without further ado let's meet everyone...

CRYSTAL, she's been hard at work keeping the loose leaf tea fresh and in stock. Come check out all the teas she's packaged up for this holiday season. Her organization has made Chariteas easier for everyone to find things.

DAMON, she's been training really hard to be point for our dinners. I like to think of her as speedy Gonzales as she's quick and is done with the chores before I even remind her to do them. Her love for all things tea shows as she talks to you about all of teas on the menu.

DANIELLE, our chief food purchaser. She's in charge of making sure there's always fresh ingredients for our wonderful salads, soups, sandwiches, and desserts. Her generosity with her time and resources has been a wonderful addition to the shop.

EMMA, also working during the dinner hours, has a gentle spirit and bright smile. She has been pivotal in making sure that people get served in a timely manner. Her concern with doing things right and her trustworthiness is a great asset to Chariteas.

KARLIE, helping with all the baking, she sure makes a mean pie crust, sweet and salty cake, and peppermint cheesecake. Often working behind the scenes, her willingness to bake anything is helpful for making sure you have a wonderful High Tea.

KIKI, very attentive to getting things done, she has adapted well to the procedures of Chariteas. She also is the queen of making our Trash Can cookie...only the best Chocolate chip cookie ever. You'll have to ask her about it.

KAREN, the newest addition, works on Monday afternoons. Her sweetness and desire to do the right thing is so infectious. Do stop in on a Monday as she will make your afternoon brighter one pot of tea at a time.

KATEY, the designer and creative genius, she's often scurrying around the retail area designing new displays and developing ideas on how we can be more eco friendly. One of her projects is a Blend Your Own Tea Bar. Also look for her as she manages Chariteas monthly Open Mic.

JESSICA, the youngest in the bunch, is helpful in making sure Saturdays run smoothly. She is often seen in the back making sure you have clean plates to eat off and keeping things clean. Her attention to detail is a great addition.

MARZELL, running the show on Saturday night, she's been great with bringing in handy new things to make sure Chariteas works better. Her smile is also very infectious and will light up your Saturday afternoon and evening.

SHAYLEE, has been with us for almost a year now and knows the in's and out's of Chariteas. The way she treats Chariteas as if it was her own is key to Chariteas success. Her latest endeavors include developing a Chariteas baking schedule and experimenting with blending tea. Come check out our latest tea: Fireside Orange.

Thank you ladies for your service and dedication. Without you Chariteas wouldn't be where is it today.

Holidays 2011 at Chariteas

2011-12-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

Looking for a great gift or a great place to bring that special someone for the holidays. Why not visit Chariteas? We have many gifts for all sorts of Tea Lovers. We're even having a special Holiday High Tea which includes a holiday, exclusively blended at Chariteas, tea and live music. Please call today to make your reservation.

Chariteas Presents The Amazing Scone Baking Race

2011-06-21T14:36:00.001-07:00

Open to anyone, Come join the Fun! This event will be happening in conjunction with out 2nd annual FesTEAval July 7-9, 2011

Coming up for the Holiday Season….

2010-11-30T15:21:00.000-08:00

FREE

Gingerbread House Contest

Dec 4^th, 2010 1-3pm

Teams of 3 or 4

· -We provide supplies

· -You have 2 hours to complete your house

· -Winning team will receive a PRIZE!

Holiday High Tea

Reservations appreciated, $15 a person

Come sing along to your favorite Christmas Carols and enjoy live music during this special High Tea. Your tea will include a scone, an assortment of sandwiches, a holiday dessert, and the tea of your choice. There’s even going to be peppermint bark! You don’t want to miss this, call to reserve your spot… they are filling fast!

Needing some gift ideas for the tea lover you know?

We have a special gift set for a High Tea here at Chariteas and a 30 min Relaxation Facial from LeMark Spa for only $30! We also have lots of gift sets, tea pots, and loose leaf here at Chariteas, so don’t forget to stop in and shop local.

Chariteas

38687 Proctor Blvd.

Sandy, OR 97055

info@chariteaspot.com

www.chariteas.blogspot.com

www.chariteaspot.com

HOMEMADE PIES FOR THANKSGIVING

2010-11-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

Order by Friday, 11/19

Pick-up Wednesday, 11/24 @ 3pm

PUMPKIN PIE

The traditional pie for every Thanksgiving meal - $16

PUMPKIN CREAM PIE

Creamy pumpkin pie a with gingersnap cookie crust - $18

APPLE BLACKBERRY PIE

Local apples and berries bursting with flavor, this pie is sure to wow everyone at the table - $20

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Oreo crust, dark chocolate layer, topped by peanut butter custard and drizzled with dark chocolate sauce - $20

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

Southern Style pecan pie with a chocolate layer twist- $20

APPLE CRUMB PIE

The perfect marriage of traditional apple pie and apple cobbler- $20

APPLE AND PEAR TART

Local pears and apples in a non-traditional shaped tart - $18

Made Here at Chariteas

Chariteas

38687 Proctor Blvd.

Sandy, OR 97055

Info@chariteaspot.com

Www.chariteaspot.com

503.826.1900

1st Fridays in Sandy!

2010-07-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

About 4 months ago Sandy, Oregon began “Spring into Town” and it has been quite popular among the locals. Here at Chariteas, the first few Fridays we were just open late, giving out tea samples, and reaching out to many new friends who came from around town.

More and more business are joining in the festivities, giving Sandy a night life… something new :). Sometimes we wish that we could go around and check out other businesses in town!

The first Friday in August we are stepping it up even more and having a game night! We will have games in the shop all day and on every table from 5-8pm. Everything from Scrabble to Risk, to a puzzle or two. You can also bring your favorite game and play. Come join in the fun and find the special gift hidden in the shop! Plus there is going to be 15% all merchandise purchases!

More events coming up that you don’t want to miss:
8/6- 1st Fri/Game Night 5-8pm
8/21- Live Music @ 7pm
9/4- 1st Friday 10am-8pm
9/18- Tea and Cooking Class @ 5pm
10/1- 1st Fri/Open Mic

Come in for more details and to sign up for these events!

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FesTEAval and Movie!

2010-07-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

Its already July! Can you believe it! The sun is finally coming out for more than an hour every other day… that is exciting!

Charity is also back in town now! Its been a over 3 weeks, but she made it back along with some new teas, gifts and goodies. Maybe when the hussle and bussle of Mountain Festival is over she will be able to sit down and tell you guys a bit about her trip.

There are some great things happening in the next few weeks at Chariteas—be sure to check them out!

July 8th-10th
FesTEAval
Open Late during the Mountain Festival
Open Late for Parade Day, Thursday, July 8th
Free Samples during Parade
Open Late Friday and Saturday
Fun Family Activities
Outside Seating Available in Our Garden

Friday, July 16th
Movie Night
Alice in Wonderland, the cartoon, in the new Garden!
Movie starts at 9pm
Cost: Free
Fun snacks and drinks available!

Coloring Contest
Stop in anytime from now until next Friday to grab a coloring sheet
We will announce the winner and present the prizes at the Movie Night, July 16th

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Brewing the Perfect Cup of Tea

2010-06-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

We’ve been talking a lot about different events and what has been going on at Chariteas, but we haven’t even informed you about brewing the perfect cup of tea. It is important to know a little about brewing so that you don’t get bitter tea or just hot water. We want to enjoy our tea to the fullest, so here are some steps to brew just one cup of tea, or a whole pot:

Tea for You
1. Heat water to the appropriate temperature indicated in the table below.
2. Measure 1 teaspoon of loose tea into the tea filter or tea strainer. When using a tea filter, carefully lay the longer edge of the filter over the side of the tea cup.
3. Pour the heated water into the tea cup and let the tea steep for the recommended brewing time.
4. Remove the strainer or tea filter to prevent the tea from becoming too bitter.

Tea for Two (or Three or More)
1. Heat water to the appropriate temperature indicated in the table below.
2. Measure 1 teaspoon of tea for each cup of water to be poured into the teapot.
3. Pour the heated water into the teapot and let the tea steep for the recommended brewing time. During this time, the brewed tea leaves should settle at the bottom of the teapot.
4. Pour the tea into a favorite cup, sip and enjoy!

Type of Tea, Water Temperature, and Brewing Time
Black; Full, rolling boil; 4-6 minutes
Green; Just before water reaches full boil. Steam should be gently swirling from the spout of the kettle; 2-3 minutes
White; Very first hint of steam; 2 minutes

If you have any questions, we would love to help you! Stop on in for more instructions or more information.
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End of May

2010-05-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

Garden
Well, our garden is well on its way to being a great little hideaway. Creative Visions has been working away at planting, pruning, and irrigating the front and garden part of the shop. Hopefully you are seeing the great changes as you drive by. If you are driving slow enough, you may be able to peer through the fence and sneak a peek at what they are doing in the garden. We are hoping to have this space ready to use sometime in June. We will keep you posted on its progress.

Internet anyone?
We are now offering free Wifi with purchase. There have been a bunch of people that have asked if we have internet, and now we do! You can stop in a have a cup of tea, a snack, or even lunch and enjoy Sandy’s newest hot spot.

New Tea Selections
We have been blending away here at Chariteas. We have 6 new teas and 4 new blends of teas. My personal favorite at the moment is called Dark Rose. It’s a pressed black tea with rose petals in it. It is quite amazing with a little sugar, I could probably drink it for hours! Other new ones include Lapsang Souchong, Lemon Sunset, and Rhubarb Oolong. We have created a couple new blends like Chariteas Chocolate, a Minty Bi Lo, Fruitea Bi Lo, and a Green Black Jasmine. We are also thinking up ways to have more Smoothie flavors… more of that to come.

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Springtime at Chariteas

2010-04-20T11:27:00.001-07:00

Springtime is upon us here at Chariteas!

Tea and Chocolate Tasting

Our upcoming event this month is a Tea and Chocolate Tasting! Februarys Tasting was such a great hit that we decided to partner with Dita’s Chocolates again and have another Tasting.

Monday, April 26, 4:30-5:30pm

$10 per person Reservation Required

Limited Seating

Sandy’s Spring into Town

May 7 & June 4

In partnership with the City of Sandy, we are going to be open until 9 the first Friday of the next two months. Many different shops around town will be open late too, so take the opportunity for a late night out in Sandy.

We have been working hard inside to add to the comfort and style of the shop.

Our beautiful new table and chairs with cushions are a great addition!

We are also preparing for the Summer by designing and breaking ground for our Garden! There will be everything from beautifully colored flowers and soft green grass to comfy patio furniture and water feature. We will also be adding some edible herbs and flowers that we can put in your tea! You can look forward to ordering a pot of tea and spending some time in the summer sunshine starting this June. Check back in for pictures of our progress.

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February at Chariteas

2010-02-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

After a great winter hiatus, Chariteas is up and running into 2010!

We’ve got some great things coming up this month and hope you can take advantage of these specials and events!

Chariteas Events:

Chocolate and Tea Tasting
Co-hosted with Dita’s Chocolates
Monday, February 1st 4:30-5:30
$10 per person-RSVP

This event is SOLD OUT. We were amazed by people’s eagerness to come, missed this one? Let us know and we’ll do another one!

Couple’s High Tea
Celebrate Valentine's Day all weekend long!
We'll be offering a romantic high tea all day. As this is a special high tea, reservations are needed: 503-826-1900. $28 for two people.

Local Artist Reception
Saturday, February 20th 2-4pm
Noticed the new art on our walls?
We are celebrating local artists and kicking it off with the wonderfully talented Sue Allen.
Visit her website at http://www.sueallenstudio.com/news.html
Come see her work and meet the artist!

Chariteas Specials:

Red Hat Ladies
Calling all Red Hat Ladies! Wear your lovely red hat and receive 10% off your order.

Mountain Visitors:
Show us your ski pass and receive 10 % off until May 31st!

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Holiday and Tea Trip Hours

2009-12-17T16:30:00.000-08:00

Holiday Hours

Closed Sunday - Monday 12/20-21
Tuesday 12/22: 10am-5pm
Wednesday 12/23: 10am-5pm
Christmas Eve: 10am-1pm
Closed Christmas
Saturday 12/26: 10am-6pm

Closed Sunday-Monday 12/27-28
Tuesday 12/29: 10-6pm (open late)

Sri Lanka Tea Scouting Trip
Closed Wednesday, December 30th-Friday, January 15th

Resume Normal Hours
Saturday, January 16th: 10am-6pm

Charity will be coming back with some new great teas and gifts!

Have a warm and wonderful Merry Christmas
&
Happy New Year!

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Chariteas Calendar is Now Available!

2009-12-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

Our calendar is now available via the blog! If you scroll down to our Links on the right hand side of the blog, you will see a list of links. Click on the link entitled: Happenings at Chariteas. This will take you to our calendar and show events we are having here at the tea shop. From time to time, we hope to share other tea-worthy events happening that we think you should know about too. If you think there is an event we should list or be a part of, please send us a comment and let us know!

Team Chariteas

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Chariteas Grand Opening: Photos and Thanks

2009-11-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends of Chariteas,

We want to thank you all for making our Grand Opening such a wonderful success!

Chariteas opened its doors on Halloween, to be heartily welcomed by the Sandy community. So many customers were pleasantly shocked at the new renovations, how this little retail building had been transformed into an English teahouse.

We’ve had such a great time sharing our tea and making friends with our customers. We’ve had so many people keeping an eye on the construction; waiting for us to open…it was wonderful to hear that we’ve been expected!

A favorite moment: At exactly 9am on Halloween, our opening day, Miller, now a regular, rushed into Chariteas, all week he had been asking when we were opening and what time. When he came in, he let us know that he had been waiting for us to open all year! Miller told us it was his goal to be our first customer, because he’d never been anyone’s first customer before. We were so excited to help him reach his goal and very honored to have Miller, a friend of Chariteas, as our very first customer.

We’d especially like to thank Sandy’s Mainstreet Project for including us on the Trick or Treat Trail, which brought over 200 people through our doors in one day. We were so glad we had enough candy!

And lastly, thank you friends! It’s your words of encouragement, your fun visits to Chariteas and your being there with us in spirit that have made this a truly wonderful and blessed Grand Opening!

Please check out our photographs of the event!

Grand Opening Day and Week Photos

With Sinceritea,

Team Chariteas

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Live Music This Saturday!

2009-11-05T22:51:00.001-08:00

We want to remind everyone that we'll be having a folk guitar performance this Saturday (November 7) from 3-6pm.

There will also be free tea tastings @ 11am and 2pm. It's a great chance to sample a tea you might not usually order and see not only how you like it, but how you can make it your own.

It has been a great week getting to meet everyone coming to visit Chariteas. If you haven't had a chance to drop by, we highly recommend coming Saturday to check out the music and our tea.

See you Saturday,

Team Chariteas

Chariteas
38687 Proctor Blvd.
Sandy, OR
info@chariteaspot.com

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Chariteas Has Opened!

2009-10-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

We are cleaning up the cobwebs and pumpkins, so I'll keep this short...

Chariteas had a TERRORIFIC Grand Opening Halloween! We had an incredible amount of people coming through, sampling our teas and welcoming us to the Sandy community. It was wonderful!

What made it TERRORIFIC was the support of friends and family: those who couldn't be with us, sending us their well-wishes and those who dropped by to share our excitement and lend a helping hand.

A special thanks to Ty Russell and his family with the Sandy Actors Theatre for their wonderful story time performances and to Jesse Guiher from Tiger Tail Art for his amazing face paintings!

Fotos and more to come....

Team Chariteas

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Chariteas Grand Opening in the World Tea News!

2009-10-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

Oregonian Readies Tea Room for Halloween Opening

Tuesday, 27 October 2009

by Heidi Kyser

Just weeks after her 30th birthday – but following years of preparation – Charity Chalmers is ready to open her first business, a tea room in Sandy, Ore.

Named Chariteas, both for its founder and her vision of building community through tea drinking, the new tea room officially opens for business Saturday, Oct. 31.

Chariteas aptly starts its opening celebration by handing out goodies to kids in conjunction with Sandy's Main Street Trick or Treat Trail. Members of the Sandy Actors Theater will also be on hand to do free face painting and Halloween story-telling. The fanfare continues throughout the week of Nov. 2, with free tea tastings 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and live music 3-6 p.m.

Unlike many new tea room owners interviewed by World Tea News, Chalmers is not leaving another career to follow her passion in tea. Rather, this is her first business. Although she had random jobs while at Boston University studying hotel and restaurant management and during the year she's spent planning Chariteas, Chalmers thought long and hard before deciding what she wanted her career to be.

Many factors influenced her decision. First, there's the knowledge gained from her studies combined with her love of cooking, which Chalmers said led her to the cafe type of tea business model rather than the cash-and-carry model.

"I enjoy being around people and like when others come together, and wanted to have a community environment," she said. "In college we used to go to Tea Luxe (in Boston) a lot and didn’t really know that there were so many varieties. That was my first real experience with tea, and it kind of evolved from there."

Add to that the fact she was raised in the Philippines, "so I have connections with Asia and that region of the world," she said. "I grew up where tea grows, so I thought, 'Why not use my connections to build relationships within the industry?'"

Last April, she traveled to China, Japan and Indonesia, relying on friends in those areas to help her meet people in the tea business. As a result, she has been able to learn about and source some teas directly from origin, in addition to working with vendors.

Why Sandy? In addition to having family in the area, Chalmers did her homework. Sandy has no other tea room and the town of about 7,500 residents is only 45 minutes from Portland.

Chalmers is selling her tea loose under her own private label, but says developing a brand will come down the road, after the shop has been open a while.

And she's confident that moment will come, despite the recession.

"When I was in school, they said that if you decide to open a cafe, make sure you have enough funds to last five years, because you probably won’t turn a profit until after that," she said. "Starting this, that has been my motto. I don’t think I’ll make a profit day one, but I do feel like if I’m here, and put my nose to the grindstone and keep plugging away, eventually, people will see that I’m not going anywhere."

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Chariteas Grand Opening

2009-10-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

Chariteas kicks off the Grand Opening on Saturday, October 31 from 9-6pm at 38687 Proctor Boulevard; many know it as the former “Something Blue.”

In conjunction with Sandy’s Mainstreet Trick or Treat Trail, Chariteas will be offering treats for kids from 2-5pm. During that time, we will also offer free face painting and storytelling, provided by the Sandy Actors Theater.

Chariteas will be celebrating the Grand Opening all week long with free tea tastings held November 2-7 at 11am and 2pm, showcasing our hand-chosen teas from around the world, with a live music finale on Saturday, November 7 from 3-6pm.

Owner Charity Chalmers’ love for tea is what inspired her to open Chariteas in Sandy. “My goal is to create a place where people can enjoy hand-chosen tea while spending time with others or grabbing a moment for themselves.”

Along with great tea, Chariteas will be offering a selection of breakfast goods, pastries, soups, salads and sandwiches. We will have an English style tea of sweets and savories. Also on hand is a selection of unique, handpicked gifts from around the world.

Whether you fancy a to-go cup or an afternoon English tea,
Chariteas is the place to be!

Hours of Operation:
Tuesday-Friday 7am-4pm
Saturday 9am-6pm
CLOSED Sunday-Monday

(above hours does not include Monday, Nov 2 tea-tasting at 11am and 2pm. Though menu will be limited)

Be connected: follow our blog, we're also on Facebook and Twitter!

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Chariteas to host SAVING GRACE at Sandy Actors Theatre

2009-10-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

Chariteas is hosting the final showing of SAVING GRACE at Sandy Actors Theatre.

Join us this Saturday, October 10 at 8pm and prepare to be entertained! We will be offering tea and treats during the reception afterward, so be sure to say hello!

"One of the funniest comedies we have ever produced. Mistaken identity, romance gone awry, and a telephone repairman. But...is he a cat burglar? Who wins Grace’s heart? Will her sister ever survive the madcap mixups that create an evening of chaos and delightful confusion?" -Sandy Actors Theatre

Saturday, Oct 10
8pm
General Admission: $12
Doors Open 45 minutes before show.

Reservations: 503-668-6834
www.sandyactorstheatre.org
Sandy Actors Theatre is located directly behind ACE Hardware in Heritage Square, Sandy, OR.

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Chariteas on Exhibit

2009-10-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

Chariteas had the wonderful opportunity to be advertised at a local business!

USBank, our next door neighbor, exhibits one local business a month. We were able to get in for October.

For those living nearby, please check us out at USBank! Our exhibit will be there all month long!

We’re holding a raffle at USBank, so please fill out a ticket and toss it in the teapot to be a lucky winner of a Chariteas' surprise gift!

Chariteas' Tea Tasting Event at USBank!

Charity Chalmers will be at USBank on Friday Oct 15th, showcasing some of Chariteas’ teas from 4-5pm. Come join us!

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Seeing the Finish Line!

2009-09-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

We’ve been overwhelmed with questions about how the tea shop is coming along. It really blesses us that people are so excited about Chariteas!

So here is our update:

The construction is coming along great, we just had our hardwood floor installed in the ordering area. It looks fabulous! Kudos to James! We’ve got the kitchen finished and Charity is getting it set up and is ready to work on her menu and finalizing her tea. (Yum!) The demo’ing of the side porch is almost done and the light the porch lets in really brightens the place up.

The landscaping has really come along way, Romina took the overgrown wilderness and tamed it into a grass seeded lawn and a mulched sidewalk.

We’ve still got a little bit to go until opening but we are chugging along!

We’ll be sure to show you some fotos soon and unveil our opening date!

Your friends,

Team Chariteas

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Chariteas' Tea Tasting

2009-08-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

We had our FIRST tea tasting!

It was an awesome experience. About 10 people came We're still in the process of building, so everyone came in and took a seat around our saw horse and plywood table. And for those wondering, no the table will not be used when the tea house is open (aw shucks I know).

The tea tasting was held in what will soon be the ordering room. Charity did a presentation on how to properly taste a tea: ex. what should we be looking for in the taste, descriptive wording, the difference between bitter (acrid taste) and astringent (causes mouth to feel dry).

She presented 4 rounds of 5 different types of tea, about 20 teas altogether. The guinea pigs...err volunteers tasted each tea and wrote their responses. After each round we also discussed what we thought about the teas and Charity answered all questions we could ask.

What was great is that we had a wide range of tea tasters...from various ages to experience. We even had a registered palate among us! That diploma-ed tongue was attached to a dear friend of the tea house.

Everyone had a great time, there was a lot of conversation about previous tea experiences, favorite teas and lots of lively debate over the descriptions!

A special thanks to everyone who came! Your opinions matter and they really helped Charity with her ordering for the tea house.

We look forward to doing more in the future, whether they be for ordering or maybe as a Tea 101? Let us know what you think!

Romina
Team Chariteas

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The Comfort of Tea

2009-08-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

Hello from Tokyo Narita Airport. It’s seems life has brought me be back to my first home Asia.

A rather melancholy moment has called me home for a short period and as I sit here waiting for my next plane to depart, I’m thinking about how comforting it is to be here in this airport. I've been through Tokyo Narita many times, going to and from so many experiences, there is a peacefulness in the familiarity.

This reminds me how tea is basically comfort in a cup for me and for many of the peoples and cultures of the world.

I’ve often wondered what is it about tea (unlike coffee) that makes one feel all warm and fuzzy inside?

The scientific answer is that tea has chemical qualities that lower stress hormone levels and increase mental alertness; helping you relax but giving you focus.

Socially, tea's comforting properties come from generations of communities, from England to Japan and China to South America, passing down the ritual of sharing tea. People sit around the table, eating, drinking tea, talking, laughing and generally just enjoying their time with one another. It reminds me of the anonymous quote, "Tea is a cup of life." The strength we draw from the liquid and from the communal moments truly do strengthen us.

As useful as the science behind tea is, ultimately I think that it’s this time spent with friends and family around a teapot that truly brings comfort to one’s soul…

Charity
Team Chariteas

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Chariteas Tea Tasting Event

2009-07-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

How cool would it be to visit Chariteas and get a cup of tea YOU helped pick out!

Calling all Chariteas fans from the PDX area, Charity is in the process of ordering tea. With so many great options, she wants to know your opinion. Join us on Thursday, August 6th from 7-9pm for a FREE tea tasting. All we want from you, is your opinion!

Charity will be offering the many teas she has acquired during her travels for you to taste and comment on. All we ask is that you try each of the teas presented and give us your honest opinion.

Based on your opinions, Charity will be making her tea selections in the months ahead. How cool would it be to visit Chariteas and get a cup of tea YOU helped pick out!

There will be many teas to choose from, so we'll be getting starting right at 7 to give everyone enough time to try the teas. We're honored to have you come and want to respect your time by making sure we stay within the two-hour time frame.

Where:
Chariteas
38687 Proctor Blvd.
Sandy, OR 97055

When:
Thursday, August 6
7:00-9:00 pm

MANDATORY:
RSVP by Monday August 3rd.

503-826-1900

chariteasnews@gmail.com

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Notice anything New?

2009-07-29T14:20:00.001-07:00

When we first set up our blog, since we were newbies to the blogging scene, we wanted to keep it simple. But now that we got a few blogs under our belt, we felt it was time to share a little bit of our personality. Who better to help us choose a template than our very own Facebook ® fans?

A special thanks to each and every one of you who took the time to look at the designs we offered and think about how they related to Chariteas. To our right-brain fans, thanks for letting us know how they made you feel. Thanks to our left-brain fans who let us know the pros and cons of the templates they chose. Joking aside, we really appreciate you sharing your voice and we hope we answered well.

So enjoy our new blog setup! We’ve got a slideshow going of the Ins and Outs of Chariteas, this we try to update pretty currently so you can get a snapshot of our day. There’s a search function that if you researching tea should help you find specific information we might have in our blogs. We also listed and will keep updating links to places/people/or blogs we think you might want to know about-local and global.

Lastly, a very warm and hugely affectionate special thanks goes out to our Man of the Hour (our good friend) James Bass-I.T. Man Extraordinaire. We can’t share enough of how he volunteered so wonderfully (and probably a little insanely) to let us pepper him with questions and problems we’ve had while getting this design uploaded and set up correctly.

Thank you all and let us know what you think!

Team Chariteas

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Wear your hard hats, this blog is under construction!

2009-07-27T16:49:00.001-07:00

We would like to apologize for any inconvenience you may have while going through our blog. We're currently trying to update our template and are working around a few snafoos. Please be patient and we will hopefully have everything up and running soon.

We're very excited about our new template, it was chosen via a Facebook(R) Election for our blog and we're excited to do something were we are visibly partnering with our friends and fans.

Where's the duct tape?

Team Chariteas

Our First Media Mention!

2009-07-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, a very sweet woman, Berenice Tynan dropped by. As a correspondent for The Oregonian, she'd heard a lot of rumors about the changes happening to the Chariteas building and wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Well, two weeks after having a great interview with her; we were in a store and mentioned to the clerk that we were opening a tea shop in Sandy, OR. To our surprise, she asked if we were that new tea shop coming to town, Chariteas, that she had read in the paper. Once we collected our respective jaws off the ground-we cheered and raced home to find the article.

We are so excited to have our very first mention in the news. You can read it here, it's short and sweet!

Chariteas Blurb

Tea Blogs to Mull Over

2009-07-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

We've begun looking at other tea blogs, it's amazing what's out there! We've decided to follow some of these blogs. Tea lovers and newbies will find it worth their while to check out the links below.

Foxfire Teas
A retail tea shop in Portland,OR. This has a little bit of everything in it: "A little PDX love, hot topics in the tea world, recipes that I come up with or recipes that others have that I totally dig and much more. I hope you enjoy it." Quinn, co-owner

Passport to Tea
One of the tea industry’s best known authors and most recognized speakers, Jane Pettigrew shares what she learns on her world travels.

About Tea
Richard Guzauskas is passionate about the perfect cup of tea. He lets you in on his secrets here.

The Art and Spirit of Tea
Writer and educator Babette Donaldson makes connections between the world of fine art and the world of fine tea.

Tea Geek
Michael Coffey is self-described as a person who seeks out new tea experiences, tea lore and tea information. One known to strongly prefer the highest quality in teas and teaware.

These blogs all cover a different facet of the tea-world. We've learned something new from each one whether it was discovering an amazing Matcha Chocolate Banana recipe (Foxfire Tea); vicariously enjoying an English tearoom in Rome (Passport to Tea); or being reminded to take the time to just enjoy a good cup of tea (Tea Geek). There's so much to be gleaned from these wonderful people and lovers of tea!

Enjoy,

Team Chariteas

A note from James the Builder

2009-07-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Chariteas is currently undergoing a major overhaul! Formerly known as the old, "Something Blue" retail shop, this one-hundred plus year old structure has seen its share of remodels. In the 70's it served as a courthouse for a number of years, (one of our inspector’s was actually married here!) and before that it was a home for families here in Sandy. Many of their kids still live in the area. There’s a lot of history in our building.

Today, I've been remodeling this old hag of a house, turning her into a 1940's calendar girl!

Last week we began painting the house and installed a fence to help dress up the overall curb appeal for the Mountain Festival. This week we have turned our focus to finishing out the kitchen, bath, and ordering room. Once this is complete there are only a few more elements left to be finished inside, then it's back outside to finish the job!

So far the project has been nothing short of exciting. This experience has really put me to the test and I feel really honored to be a part of this business.

Your Builder,

James

Good Tea. Nice House. Getting ready for the Sandy Mountain Festival!

2009-07-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

The town of Sandy is gearing up for their famous Mountain Festival. It starts with a parade Thursday evening, there is a carnival as well as a artisans’ area with music on two stages. None of us has ever been to the festival, so we're excited to see what happens!

One of the great things about the festival this year is that their parade kickoff, this Thursday evening, will be going down Proctor, the street Chariteas is on. We are using this opportunity to introduce Chariteas to the town and all the excited parade goers.

Since the tea shop isn't ready to open, we'll be setting up on the front porch, showcasing a couple of Charity’s iced tea creations (yummy!) As a special thanks from us, people who purchase a cup of iced tea will receive our ‘Grand Opening Coupon'. Our first discount ever!!! We'll only have a limited supply, so it'll be first come first serve. We’ve got a big poster being made for the event, and we’re going to set up Adirondack chairs on the porch. Friends and family will be dropping to show their support and enjoy the parade &mdash it looks as if we’re going to have a whole lot of fun!

We’ve been moving quickly to get Chariteas’ facelift done before the parade and the arrival of the festive partiers! Last week we painted most of the exterior; it is such a pretty yellow! We’ve primed most of the trim. We’re still deciding on how to paint it, there are so many fun options! The wild garden has been trimmed to the ground, to give us room to install our privacy fence. This week, James has set up the fence and, after brainstorming with Team Chariteas, he came up with a very creative look. We’re looking forward to our unique fence!

What’s fascinating about the Mountain Fest parade is that, we’re still two days away from it and yet people are already marking off their seating areas on sidewalks up and down the parade route. I’ve never seen such trust-that your neighbors won’t steal your chairs-and such excitement for a parade! To help out our neighbors, Romina has cleared out the overgrown plots that make up our sidewalk. It’s really nice to be able to see the main road!

If you live in the area, we really hope you’ll come to the parade! Be sure to drop by and visit us. We also hope you enjoy the Mountain Fest, we’ll be poking around and enjoying the experience. For more information please check out the link below.

Parade

Sandy Mountain Festival

Good Tea. Nice House. Welcome to Chariteas Blog!

2009-06-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Chariteas' Blog!

We've been working on getting Chariteas up and running for almost a year now and we're gearing up for the final lap to the end! The Grand Opening is still Top Secret!!! But we'll let you know our opening date as soon as we can.

I've really enjoyed making headway on our web presence. We are up and running on Facebook as of last week. It was really exciting and the Facebook community welcomed us with open arms. It was great to see the support and encouragement Chariteas received from our friends and family. Thanks so much!

You can also follow Chariteas on Twitter, it usually is our ironic, smart alecky comment of the day.

Also in the works, but not quite ready to make it's appearance, will be Chariteas website. It's still in process, but we're looking forward to being able to offer it as a medium of connection for those who won't be able to come to the tea shop.

As always, we value your ideas! Please let us know what you think of the blog, twitter...etc. We're learning how to do this and really appreciate people taking the time to help us fine tune our little tea shop and all that goes with it!

Thanks again,

Team Chariteas

In search of the perfect cup...China Day 4

2009-06-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

Charity's Chinese Tea Tour

Day 4: April 3, 2009

Today was incredibly busy! We set out to see two tea farms, the museum, and the silk market. The first tea farm we visited was Ruiya’s friend’s house. Her name was Ting. She served us some of her delightful tea and explained to us a little bit about her tea. Her tea was picked before the Qing Ming Festival (pronounced Ching Ming). Anything that is picked before this festival is considered the best of the best. It is the first flush (the new buds). They started plucking the leaves 2 weeks before this festival. This festival occurs sometime the first week of April depending on the lunar calendar. Qing Ming festival, literally translated Tomb Sweeping Festival, is a holiday in China. On Qing Ming, people visit the tombs of their ancestors to sweep and clean them, as a way of honoring and remembering the deceased.

One thing I learned is they serve green tea in tall clear glasses so that you can see the leaves “dance” (meaning unfurl and float). It is also called “the agony of the leave giving up its liquor to the water.” When they fill the cup ¾ way up, that means you can stay and have another cup, but once they fill your cup full that means this is your last glass of tea and that your visit is coming to an end.
Going to Ting’s house was an enjoyable way to begin the day.

The second place we visited was the Longjing Tea Culture Village. Ruiya had another family friend there. Her friend showed us their machinery and even made a batch of tea in front of us. The leaves gave off a lovely aroma —I find no other way to describe it except as a ‘roasting scent’ while they were being dried and fired. During the firing process the tea-processor used his hands to shape the leaves in the hot pan. Twisting or rolling them with his hands as he dried them. We also had lunch there, which consisted of fresh fish, soup, some chicken, and sautéed eggplant. After eating and visiting, we purchased some tea then we walked through the tea gardens. We ascended a hill where the 18 tea plants were cordoned off. According to Chinese history, Emperor Qianlong was so impressed by the Longjing tea produced here that he conferred these 18 tea bushes special imperial status.

The third stop on our itinerary was the National Tea Museum. There I learned about tea, its history and how it became part of the Chinese culture. It was also nice and peaceful, there was a fountain, walking path and the tea gardens around it. We unfortunately had to hurry through the museum since we were running late. After leaving there, we returned to Ting’s house and purchased some of her tea. Our last stop was the silk market. The street looked as though it was a mile long with stall after stall of silk. The items in the shops tended to repeat themselves, but in that sense it became a bargainer’s haven. I ended up leaving the place with 18 hand-painted silk scarves and a couple of silk paintings. I hope to sell the scarves in the shop and post the silk art on the wall as part of a seasonal display.

Check out our photos on Facebook!

In search of the perfect cup...China Day 3

2009-06-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

Charity's Chinese Tea Tour

Day 3: April 2, 2009

My mom and I traveled to Hangzhou—the place where the famous Longjing green tea is from. Once arriving at the airport we met our guide. Her name was Ruiya. She took us to our hotel to get settled. After she took us to the West Lake, we walked around and then had dinner. The food was very good! I especially liked the bamboo shoots.

After eating we went to a traditional tea house. You order your tea and then they have a buffet filled with fruit, savory appetizers, pumpkin seeds, ice cream, etc...to choose from. You could seriously sit there all day and it’s a set price. The tea I had was an herbal flower tea. It was quite sweet and floral. After that was bed time. Yaaawwwn...

In search of the perfect cup...China Day 2

2009-06-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

Charity's Chinese Tea Tour

Day 2: April 1, 2009

After breakfast we met up with a friend who would our translator for the day. We were about to embark on trip to the Beijing Tea Market (Malian Dao)

Below is a review of the Malian Dao by NY Times:
NY Times Malian Dao

We went into the tea city. It was 4 floors dedicated to tea and tea ware. We first walked around and looked at everything, and figured out which stores to walk into. We settled on two. The first one we ended up purchasing some yixing teapots, Chinese style tea sets, tray, and serving set. After spending an hour deciding which items to purchase I began the process of bargaining for the right price. It was a fun, engaging experience. After that we went to the first floor and went into a tea shop that looked like they had some fabulous green teas. The only 2009 teas available on the market were green teas. We sat down at the tea table and they brought out samples, brewed some, and we began the process of tasting and sampling tea the Chinese way.

First part of the process was to bring out the leaves, examine them and smell them. Then they cleaned the brewing vessel and cups with hot water. Next they put a little bit of the leaves in the brewing vessel, poured hot water over it and used the lid to stir the tea in the water. After a few minutes they poured the tea into a small clear tea pot and poured it into our little cups and my mom, the translator, the clerks, and I started tasting. If we drank all of the tea in our cups, they poured more. The process then repeated itself with every different tea we tried. After having about 12 different cups of tea, I decided on purchasing and began bargaining for some Bi Lo Chun, Lychee tea, and Oolong tea with ginseng. I look forward to selling them in my shop.

Check out our photos on Facebook!

In search of the perfect cup...China Day 1

2009-06-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

Charity's Chinese Tea Tour

Day 1: March 31, 2009

Leaving my house at the crack of dawn I began my travels to Beijing, China. After arriving, checking into the hotel, and grabbing a bite to eat, my mom and I set out on foot for a wholesale bead market. It was quite fabulous, looking at all the charms, beads, hair ties, leather, ribbons, and stretchy thread. I made a few purchased for the tea shop. I will be using these finds for decorations on the aprons and the tea cozies, as well as for other gift items I’ll be selling in the shop. After spending a couple hours there we returned to the hotel to meet my dad’s co-workers, rest, eat dinner, and bed.

Check out our photos on Facebook!

In search of the perfect cup...Indonesia Day 2

2009-06-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Day 2: March 21, 2009

My mom and I arose at 7:00am, we walked for about 30min through the garden, met a tea garden manager, saw some people plucking the leaves, chemical and pesticide free areas, and new sapling tea plant growing areas. They use the leaves from a palm tree to mulch the area around the new saplings to protect them from weather and bugs. Strategically located throughout the garden are tall trees. These trees are allowed to grow during the summer to provide the tea plants with the necessary shade and in the rainy months they are cut back to allow more sun.

After hiking through the garden we reached the river and the waterfall. It was beautiful and such a fun experience to have breakfast there. Along the walk we were able to see a few eagles and monkey (it was black and had a white belly) hanging from the tree. It was really cool and I was glad that it was so remote. After eating breakfast we went and saw the hydropower dam which supplies electricity to their factory and the houses in the village.

My mom and I were asked to plant a tree in memory of our visit. They ask all visitors to do this as a way of giving back to nature. I hope to see it as a grown tree someday! After planting the tree we were taken to the factory and participated in a professional tea cupping and tasting. This was a great experience learning how to taste tea and cup tea. After tasting the tea, we suited up to go into the factory. We had to remove our shoes and use some special flip flops. It was really cool seeing the machines that dry, fire, roll, and sort the leaves. There was one machine that sorted one type of tea into different grades ranging from premium quality to fannings/dust. Upon completion of the factory tour we grabbed our stuff and headed back to Jakarta thus ending my first plantation tour.

Check out our photos on Facebook!

In search of the perfect cup...Indonesia Day 1

2009-06-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Charity's Indonesian Tea Tour

Day 1: March 20, 2009

We drove about 3 hours from Jakarta to Bandung. When we got to Bandung, we stopped by the Chakra tea central office. We met the owner and different managers of Chakra Tea. We then got into a Ford escape and drove to a restaurant with the son and tea taster of Chakra. Our group had a delicious meal of vegetables, chicken soup, chicken satay, and a cassava dessert. Then we drove on a dirt road for 2 hours through the mountains. Talk about bouncy!

There were strawberries and onions growing together, lots of terracing, and many tea gardens (some owned by the government, small farmers, and private estates). Chakra falls into the 3rd category. After 2 hours we arrived at Dewata. They have 600 hectars of tea gardens, a hydropower plant that supplies power to the factory, village, and guest house. The plantation employs 700 people.

The plants are grown on the sides of the mountains. There are trees strategically placed and seasonally pruned to provide the right amount of shade or sun on the tea plants. They pick year round. This is family owned estate since its purchase from the Dutch when the country became independent (1936). The estate is in the middle of a national rainforest reserve. The estate itself is accredited by HACCP for its state of the art environmental management. The local wildlife is comprised of various birds, insects, eagles, monkeys, flying squirrels, black panthers, snakes, and tigers. The house remains the same as is it was built. The weather at the garden was misty and cool at night. During the day it was very hot.

Check out our photos on Facebook!

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